Politics

Abbas's Netanyahu-esque address to Turkey's parliament

The Palestinian Authority president will meet Turkey’s president who supports Abbas’s rivals, representatives of whom may conveniently be in Ankara at the same time. Is this PR, or time to talk?

Adem Altan/AFP

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (L) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on March 5, 2024.

Abbas's Netanyahu-esque address to Turkey's parliament

Omer Onhon

last update on 12 Aug 2024

When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visits the Turkish capital Ankara this week, he will be hosted by a country that has proven to be among the world’s most vocal supporters of Palestine.

His visit is not unusual—he was here in March—but it is symbolic and timely, so soon after Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran. There was no love lost between Abbas and Haniyeh, who represent two rival Palestinian factions.

This week’s visit was set in motion when a Turkish opposition politician said Turkey should invite Abbas to address the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in direct response to the United States inviting Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Abbas had already been invited but declined, adding that an apology might be needed. This was the first sniff of friction between the two men, but there were no explanations as to why.

Enter Ahmet Davutoglu, a former foreign minister and prime minister who later fell out with Erdogan, founded his own political party, and joined the opposition in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Davutoğlu, known for his support for the Palestinian cause (and especially for his sympathy and closeness to Hamas), suggested that Haniyeh be invited if Abbas was not forthcoming. This led to a public debate.

Within a few days, Erdogan’s spokesperson said Abbas would in fact now be coming to Ankara. In the meantime, Haniyeh was killed in Tehran.

Longstanding relations

No matter which political party has been in power, and regardless of how good or bad relations with Israel are, Turkey has always stood by the Palestinian people, and in favour of a two-state solution.

Yet Erdoğan’s policies have been somewhat different, notably his warm support for Hamas, at the expense of relations with Israel, the West, and some leading countries in the region.

His government and other Turkish conservative centres think of Hamas not as terrorists but as a liberation organisation struggling to free its territories from occupation.

Erdoğan and his officials frequently refer to Hamas as a legitimate political party which ran in 2006 elections in Gaza, but was ousted despite its win.

Erdoğan's warm support for Hamas has come at the expense of relations with Israel, the West, and even some neighbours

In recent months, Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador from Tel Aviv, halted trade with Israel, and applied to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Despite this, it feels its efforts to defend the Palestinians are not appreciated. Erdogan's support for Hamas drew the ire of Abbas and others in the region wary of Hamas links to the Muslim Brotherhood and/or Iran.

Despite their somewhat prickly relations, Abbas and Erdogan have not stopped talking, and Abbas has not opposed Turkish efforts to contribute to Palestinian reconciliation.

Abbas is between a rock and a hard place. He has been reserved in his condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza because of antipathy with Hamas, to maintain relations with Israel, and to maintain relations with the US.

Abbas's two-day schedule

On the first day of his visit this week, on 14 August, Abbas will hold bilateral talks with Erdogan. On 15 August, he will address the Turkish parliament, which is in recess but will convene for a one-day extraordinary session to host him.

Representatives of foreign countries and international organisations, as well as Palestinians wounded in Gaza who have been brought to Turkey for treatment, will also be present in the House during Abbas's speech, echoing Netanyahu's performance.

Emotions are expected to run high in the parliament and the streets of Ankara are likely to show support for Palestine with flags and banners. Heavy security could bring the city to a temporary standstill.

Yet Abbas's speech is unlikely to be groundbreaking. He will likely convey messages of Palestinian solidarity, call for Israel to be stopped, and urge a resumption of peace talks that would lead to a two-state solution. In other words, everything he has said before.

Abbas's visit will give Erdogan the opportunity to show that his Palestinian policy is not limited to Hamas. He will want to consolidate his standing in Turkey and abroad as the unyielding supporter of the Palestinians.

A chance to reconcile?

Equally, Abbas's visit will not be at the expense of relations with Hamas. Indeed, Hamas representatives are expected to be present in Ankara and in the parliament throughout the week, just not in the official delegation.

A meeting between Abbas and some Hamas officials in Ankara should come as no surprise: Turkey had good relations with Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal, but the former has been killed and the latter was not re-elected.

Hamas representatives are expected to be present in Ankara and in the parliament throughout the week, just not in the official delegation

Turkey's relations with Hamas's new Gaza-based leader Yahya Sinwar may not be as close as they were with Haniyeh, in part because the alleged architect of the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel is known to be close to Iran.

Internationally, Israel has its sights set not just on Hamas, but on Iran and Hezbollah. Israel's government, the most right-wing in the country's history, wants to fight this 'axis of evil' alongside its Western allies, namely the US.

Avoiding all-out war

Iran wants to strike Israel, to save face for Israeli assassinations of its proxies' leaders, yet it also wants to avoid a destructive full-fledged war. American and Russian officials are currently talking this through with Tehran.

Meanwhile, as Gaza suffers, efforts to resume peace talks led by Qatar and Egypt are said to have intensified. A Hamas statement shows that it would implement a truce plan presented by US President Joe Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council.

Netanyahu seems unwilling to make a deal on hostages or ceasefires, and appears to be waiting for November, when he hopes that US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the election and reclaims the White House.

Level heads hope no red lines are crossed that would necessitate escalation, but when fanatical and desperate rulers roll the dice, there is no telling what could happen.

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